110 
, x 
Photograph by C. Reid, Wishaw, N.B. 
Animal Life itt 
GUINEA PIGS. 
white and also the buff varieties are inore 
suitable to be kept on a farm, because their 
plumage preserves its beauty better at liberty 
than in confinement. Besides these there 
are several other fancy varieties which, how- 
ever, al the present are more of interest for 
exhibition purposes than for their useful 
qualities. Those who require a good, general, 
all-round fowl for profit as well as pleasure 
cannot do better than go in for the golden 
or the silver, which are the two oldest sub- 
varieties of the Wyandotte family. 
we" 
A GREAT deal of confusion exists in the public 
mind as to what constitutes a 
Carrier pigeon, and very few 
people outside the ranks of 
fanciers understand clearly that a carrier 
pigeon is quite a different bird from a 
homing pigeon. The carrier pigeon is so 
called, not because it carries messages, but 
on account of its carriage or bearing. It 
has a large warty growth or excrescence 
round its beak which is often the size of a 
large walnut, and this effectively prevents it 
from finding its way from the front of its 
owners house to the back. The homing 
pigeon is the bird which carries messages 
The Carrier 
Pigeon. 
and is quite a different type of pigeon alto- 
gether, being a descendant of the old-fashioned 
blue rock and the antwerp. The carrier 
pigeon is bred solely for exhibition purposes, 
and has been termed by its devotees the 
king of pigeons. It may be regarded as the 
aristocratic variety just in the same way as 
the bull-dog has become the fancy of the 
aristocracy in the dog world. A fairly long 
purse and a liberal equipment of time and 
patience are necessary for the successful 
culture of the carrier pigeon; and it is worthy 
of note that one of the most successful 
exhibitors of carriers known to the present 
generation has been a lady (Miss Chalcraft), 
whose carriers for a good many years past 
have won prizes at the great National Show 
at the Crystal Palace, which is the premier 
exhibition of the year. 
SH 
THE Guinea Pig or Cavy, as it is termed by 
The fanciers, has been coming 
Guinea-Pig prominently forward during 
Fancy. 
the last few years in two 
different ways. It is proving itself the 
friend of man by the self-sacrifice which it 
is being called upon to make in the interests 
of medical science. Those whose business 
